Stephen D. Jeffries

Born and raised in New York City, Stephen was born in 1946, son of Ruth Rabinowitz and Murray Jeffries. He earned a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from Cornell University, both in philosophy, before becoming a philosophy professor at the University of New Orleans. After four years of teaching, he decided he wanted to make a more direct impact on people’s lives and earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law. Soon after, with the hiring of one receptionist, he built a practice in Manhattan, dedicated to immigration law. Over forty years, his work grew to a thriving firm, providing expert guidance and helping thousands of clients solve their immigration issues and establish their lives in the United States. The positive impact that his clients’ expertise as surgeons, scientists, and many more professional fields brought to communities across the country is incalculable.

When he was not practicing law, he loved traveling, reading about scientific developments, attending theater, classical music concerts, and the opera. He also never missed an opportunity to pet a friendly dog. As a true New Yorker, he was a great fan of the Yankees and the Knicks. He deeply treasured time spent with family, especially vacationing in the Catskills and Westhampton Beach, where he rarely missed a sunset.

Inspired by his mother, Ruth, who ran Mrs. J’s Sacred Cow on the Upper West Side for many years, he had a lifelong love of food. He enjoyed nothing more than planning the perfect dinner – often while he was enjoying the perfect lunch, which he had planned while enjoying the perfect breakfast.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his poodle Belmondo. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Susan, who he considered the most wonderful person in the world; his sister Laura Chessler (Richard); brother-in-law Mark (Karen) O’Leary; sister-in-law Ellen (Scot) Curran; and several nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. His gentle nature, good humor, and unsolicited suggestions for how to improve any meal or snack will be deeply missed by the many people who loved him. He truly believed that every day was a gift.